Tag Archives: empathy

As part of the official visit of President Hu to Washington, First Lady, Michelle Obama spoke to a captivated audience at Howard University saying that when you go abroad, “you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world.” While Mrs. Obama was trying to promote a campaign to increase the number of students going to China, many of her comments are applicable to any cross cultural learning experience:

“…studying abroad isn’t just an important part of a well-rounded educational experience. It’s also becoming increasingly important for success in the modern global economy. Getting ahead in today’s workplaces isn’t just about the skills you bring from the classroom. It’s also about the experience you have with the world beyond our borders — with people, and languages, and cultures that are very different from our own.”

“That’s why it is so important for more of our young people to live and study in each other’s countries. That’s how, student by student, we develop that habit of cooperation, by immersing yourself in someone else’s culture, by sharing your stories and letting them share theirs, by taking the time to get past the stereotypes and misperceptions that too often divide us.

That’s how you build that familiarity that melts away mistrust. That’s how you begin to see yourselves in one another and realize how much we all share, no matter where we live. ”

CFHI programs have always focused on immersion into a culture, into a different helathcare system. Rather than staging impressive extraordinary displays for students, CHFI’s Global Health Immersion Programsgive students a real slice of life, giving the participant and authentic experience of what it is like to be a health professional in that country. Some days may be very low key, other days in a hospital may be overwhelming. Regardless of the program, the bonds that students have made with professionals, with host families and with each other are very strong and lasting.

Professionalism as a component of medical education is something we all know is important but can be hard to effectively impart and even harder to measure. Students who want to improve their professional skills report that it can be difficult to find effective ways to do so.

One of the most obvious ways that the professionalism of a doctor or medical professional is seen by his or her patients, is through the communication skills that are used on a daily basis. Effective communication is a two-way street and becomes ever more challenging each day as our societies become more multicultural. Empathy spans culture, gender, race, age, and socioeconomic factors that can become barriers to effective communication. The need to be understood is a universal human trait and with the right tools, the medical professional can use that energy to charge the healing process in a positive way instead of just letting that energy create stress, confusion and possibly frustration.

Over the years, many CFHI students have commented that the time spent immersed in another culture, has increased their awareness of others and also their awareness of self. Being in a foreign culture and a foreign healthcare system makes a person aware, sometimes awkwardly aware of themselves and of their assumptions about how healthcare should be delivered. Many of the things that we might take for granted on a daily basis are suddenly removed. The experience is one that is new, different, challenging, perhaps uncomfortable and, at the same time, an amazing opportunity for learning. Here too empathy can play a role. The practice of self empathy can help transform the experience to be one of learning and not just stress.

Melanie Sears has been a Registered Nurse for more than 25 years and a certified trainer in effective communication since 1991. Her book, Choose Your Words: Harnessing the Power of Compassionate Communication to Heal and Connect, is an excellent workbook designed to help health professionals be more effective in their communication with both patients and colleagues. Joining her as co-trainer will be John Kinyon, also a certified trainer in communication skills since 2000. John has worked in a number of international settings and has worked with many groups to address the challenges of cross cultural communication.

CFHI is honored and grateful to have Mel and John offer their expertise to CFHI participants.